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Torii Hunter: Former Twin may be right ingredient for Detroit Tigers' chemistry

By Drew SharpDetroit Free Press

Posted:
01/28/2013 12:01:00 AM CST

Updated:
01/28/2013 09:06:44 AM CST

New Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter, smiles after putting on his jersey as Tigers general manager David Dombrowski, left, and owner Mike Ilitch look on before a news conference in Detroit, Friday, Nov. 16, 2012. Hunter, who last played for the Los Angeles Angels, signed a two-year, $26 million deal. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT -- Looking back on it now, Torii Hunter still menacingly glares.

In a 2002 game against Cleveland, Indians pitcher Danys Baez drilled Hunter with a fastball to the ribs. Hunter admitted that he immediately "saw red."

He picked up the ball and whipped it back to Baez, striking him in the upper leg and triggering a bench-clearing episode between the Indians and Hunter's Minnesota Twins.

"You might call that being fiery," he said. "The ball was spinning into my ribs. It fell to the ground right in front of me. I'm emotional. I wasn't letting that go. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.

"Look, I'm a nice guy. I'll smile a lot. But I'll fight you if you challenge me or one of my teammates. I love this game too much and respect what's necessary to win too much to look at it any other way."

Hunter got a four-game suspension. But it also burnished a reputation that follows him to Detroit 11 years later. Hunter is regarded as the consummate teammate: congenial, yet combative. He has everybody's back and gets along with everybody while serving as a clubhouse clique-buster.

He's not a Tiger primarily because he'll lead his teammates in choruses of "Kumbaya." Hunter is here because the Tigers desperately needed a defensive upgrade in rightfield and an offensive upgrade from the right side of the plate. But it shouldn't be totally dismissed that he adds another important ingredient mixed into that abstract known as team chemistry.

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The Tigers got a bad rap last season. They somehow lacked fire because Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander and Austin Jackson were soft-spoken and unassuming. Critics confused that with disinterest during their many stalls and false starts on their way to back-to-back divisional titles and the franchise's second American League pennant in the last seven years.

Some pointed to Victor Martinez's missing clubhouse dominance contributing to the Tigers' frustrating lapses as much as his absent RBI production in the five-hole of the batting order. During a crucial game in Cleveland in the final month of the 2011 march to the American League Central championship, Martinez loudly implored Verlander to smack him in the face as a means for firing up the designated hitter.

Though initially startled, Verlander obliged.

Performance matters above all else, but it can't hurt having as many different personalities and demeanors as possible.

The leadership couldn't have been that poor if you're one of the last two teams standing.

After San Francisco swept the Tigers out of the World Series in four straight games in October, every player in the losing clubhouse came up to Fielder, hugged and thanked him for all his contributions. That was indicative of genuine respect, appreciative of an approach that radically differed from Martinez's more confrontational style but was nonetheless effective because it was true to Fielder's personality.

"The first rule of leadership is being yourself," Hunter said. "I've never been that kind of rah-rah, fist-pumping kind of guy. I get fiery. But there's no right personality or wrong personality. It's all about the connection that you make with your teammates."

Hunter believes chemistry is built in spring training.

"That's how you create your bond," he said. "That's when everybody comes together. When the season starts, you should already have your chemistry. Teams say that it's built in April and May. No it isn't. It's built in spring training. That's why I'm really looking forward to getting down to Lakeland and getting together with these guys."

Hunter is no longer the All-Star he once was, but he is that solid acquisition that could help the Tigers in ways not necessarily seen on the scoreboard.